Embedded control systems (“control systems”) are used in a wide variety of different field applications. For example, control systems can be used to control and monitor power stations, turbines, motors, and the like.
One type of distributed control systems includes, at a local unit, a modular head unit that communicates to a global controller and that establishes a local data bus (also referred to as a head unit bus) that supports variable number of modular IO modules (also referred to as IO slice). The local data bus provides control signaling between the head unit and each given IO module.
For a given size of IO slice, slice entitlement defines finite resource capabilities (e.g., number of I/O field wire connection points, locations for indicator lights, power dissipation capability, among others) for the IO slice. While having varying slice sizes in a given control system can provide different entitlements, these different sized IO slices can limit or restrict the layout of the control system in a given control cabinet.
In addition, large IO slices configured with complex functions include additional IOs and capabilities not necessary for all applications.
What are needed are devices, systems, and methods that can address such limitations, among others.